SSM introduces electronic health record scheme

The Health Bureau (SSM) has initiated an electronic health record (eHR) program, which started from January 1, that aims to share patient information and medical historical records among both public and private health services, the SSM informed in a statement.

As stated by the Director of the Public Hospital (CHCSJ) on January 1, the program, which  will be running on trial mode for the present, aims to study the creation of this kind of platform on a permanent basis in order to provide the citizens with a more accurate and timely response in terms of medical diagnosis and treatment as well as avoiding repeated diagnosis exams and errors on medication prescriptions and treatment.

The registration for the program started from December 31 and Macau citizens can join the scheme voluntarily. Fifteen people had signed up as of yesterday.

For this first stage, the patients’ medical data will be shared and accessible to the physicians in the CHCSJ, Health Centers and Kiang Wu hospital, with the consent of the patient.
According to the SSM, the program is now accepting registrations and is expected to be ready to be fully implemented and accessible
next month.

Addressing privacy concerns, the bureau claims that the scheme is subjected to a strict personal data protection procedure which involves the formal registration of the user and express consent from the patient at the time of each medical consultation.

To provide such access, the users need to scan their Macau ID cards (BIR) on a reader.

Additionally, the users can set up a security warning using their mobile phone number that sends an SMS automatically each time their account is accessed.

In order to participate, citizens must register in one of the counters located in the main lobby of the CHCSJ. The registration desk is located on the ground floor of the outer patients consultation building in the same hospital or at the Emergency Department Building.

Reception desks will also be available in Health Care Centers, at the Islands Emergency Department and at Seac Pai Van’s temporary Health Care Center.

Application is also possible for underage people or those with severe disabilities. In these cases, in addition to the BIR, representatives must provide a document proving they are legal guardians or representatives of these citizens. RM